Tensile test of aluminum sheet metal

Purpose

Efficient and quality assured experimental method for determining the thermo-mechanical properties of sheet aluminum with the aim of obtaining the most accurate input data to finite element (FE) simulations. Our equipment provides the possibility of testing a wide range of sheet thicknesses (0.5 – >3 mm), temperatures (20 – 1000 °C), and strain rates (0.00025 – 2 s⁻¹) that, combined with our advanced testing and evaluation methods, give a unique opportunity to enhance the accuracy of FE simulations of multiple manufacturing processes, such as forming, welding, and additive manufacturing (AM). There is also the possibility of applying specific thermal cycles or a heat treatment to the material before testing to mimic the conditions of the manufacturing method studied. In addition, the test results can also be used for material and batch comparisons when investigating solutions for problems in production. An accurate prediction of the material behavior improves cost efficiency by reducing the need for physical prototyping and leads to a better quality of the product.

Method

The uniaxial tensile tests are conducted on samples extracted from the sheet in three directions with respect to the rolling direction, that is, longitudinal (0°), transverse (90°), and diagonal (45°). The tests are performed using a hydraulic MTS tensile test machine with 100 kN load capacity at the RISE Stamping and Forming Center located in Olofström, Sweden. The deformation and strains of the material can be measured using a combination of different techniques depending on the desired level of accuracy, for instance a video extensometer or the digital image correlation (DIC) system ARAMIS™, which is an optical three-dimensional (3D) deformation measurement equipment used to obtain the distribution and evolution of strains on the surface of the material during the whole test. Both systems can measure a wide range of strains, from 0.01% to several 100%. 

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Delivery

Results delivered according to agreement.